Jay-Z was the first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame

In June 2017, Shawn Carter—also known as—Jay-Z became the first rapper to be accepted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, joining the likes of John Lennon, Elton John, David Bowie, and James Brown—among many more.

Songwriters become eligible for the Hall of Fame when they've released numerous hit songs over a span of 20 years minimum. Jay Z himself hasn't wrote lyrics down in a long time, he revealed in a 2007 MTV interview that the last time he wrote song lyrics on paper was for 1996's “Can I Live”.

Jay Z was not in attendance at the awards 48th annual induction ceremony, but Jon Platt, the CEO of Warner/Chappell Music Publishing, accepted the award on his behalf and Barack Obama congratulated Jay Z on his achievement on video. After the ceremony, Jay Z went on Twitter to call his induction a win for hip-hop and to thank other rappers who inspired him.

You can view Jay Z's Songwriters Hall of Fame profile here.

By the way, this is a win for US. I remember when rap was said to be a fad . We are now alongside some of the greatest writers in history.
— Mr. Carter (@sc) February 22, 2017

I promise I'm not drunk . Lord Pusha . Carti (Magnolia incredible)ASAP Sean P , Mobb , cudi . Tyler , earl, Snoop!!( almost played myself)
— Mr. Carter (@sc) June 16, 2017